Dr. Michael Hitch

Professor Michael Hitch is a prominent researcher in sustainable mining, resource management, and geoscience education. His work life has been highly adventurous; he has traversed some of the more remote and hostile parts of the globe, including the Arctic regions of Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. His studies and career fully reflect his passion for discovery and dedication to responsible resource development. He earned his bachelor of science in geology from Lake Superior State University, then obtained a master's in geology from the University of Ottawa. He later achieved a PhD in environment and resource studies from the University of Waterloo. His passion for innovation is evident through his work promoting circular economy and sustainability strategies, alongside his continuing education at the University of Cambridge and his studies in AI and machine learning from MIT.

Michael launched his career in international mining and has over twenty-five years of experience in all aspects, from operations to corporate finance and management at large corporations like AngloGold Ashanti, Ivanhoe Mines, and Echo Bay Mines. He has travelled to more than 190 countries, opening mines in some remote locations, including the Arctic. He collaborated with Indigenous peoples in the circumpolar north, above the Canadian Arctic, to negotiate the first impact agreement in Nunavut as it was becoming a territory. He even wrote a book about the challenges he faced there. His experiences in the circumpolar north profoundly impact him, highlighting the unique environmental, social, and logistical issues of resource development in these rapidly evolving regions.

Michael is super familiar with mineral development in the Arctic. He's also worked a lot in the mines and conducted research there. When he's in those regions, he encounters problematic regulations, collaborates with the locals and Indigenous peoples, and considers the environmental concerns of mining, given the effects of climate change accelerating everything. Due to that, he fully understands how everything fits together in the Arctic ecosystems and why sustainability is essential in keeping them safe in the future.

Michael made the leap into academia and has held significant leadership positions at prestigious institutions worldwide. He served as head of school at the Western Australia School of Mines, directed the Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia, and was an associate professor at both the University of New South Wales and the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on sustainable mining, including how to mitigate CO₂ through mineral carbonation, managing mine waste, and promoting a circular economy. He has also published extensively, with over 100 peer-reviewed papers, sixty conference presentations, and even a book on his research in the Arctic.

Michael is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, which he integrates into his teaching and leadership. He focuses on creating opportunities for underrepresented populations and supporting the next generation of scientists and explorers. Whether conducting field studies, brainstorming innovative solutions to environmental challenges, or advising students, Michael truly embodies the adventurous spirit and responsible leadership needed to tackle the frontiers of science and natural resource development.